


Garden Growing From a Black Hole

by darkgirl11, Masterodontochelys



Category: Boruto: Naruto Next Generations
Genre: Assassin Mitsuki, Badass mitsuki, BoruMitsu, Boruto barely speaks English, Boruto doesn't like guys who fight like that, Boruto is oblivious, Boruto tries his best, Boys In Love, Dialogue, Floralist Mitsuki, Flowers, Hopeless Romantics, I promise this is good, Idiots in Love, Inojin & Mitsuki friendship, M/M, Misunderstandings, MitsuBoru, Mitsuki & Boruto go on a mission, Mitsuki and Boruto suck at love, Mitsuki has a dry sense of humor, Mitsuki is a bad bitch, Mitsuki is low key an ANBU, Mitsuki is oblivious, Mitsuki speaks flower, Mitsuki takes it literally, Mitsuki thinks Boruto doesn't like him, Mitsuki works for the Yamanaka flower shop, Poisonous flowers, Shikadai & Boruto friendship, Shikadai & Inojin are love gurus, Yamanaka flower shop, dinner with the Yamanakas, hidden meaning behind flowers, love confessions through flowers, love expert Inojin, love expert Shikadai, love is troublesome, misinterpretation, not really but Boruto and Mitsuki need help, sensitive Mitsuki
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-21
Updated: 2020-06-21
Packaged: 2021-03-03 21:15:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 14,064
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24832207
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/darkgirl11/pseuds/darkgirl11, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Masterodontochelys/pseuds/Masterodontochelys
Summary: Flowers have hidden meanings behind them. The only person who understands those meanings is Mitsuki. Boruto comes to Mitsuki for help with making a bouquet but neither of them realize that this encounter would spark their complicated love story.ORI found a prompt on Tumblr with a quote saying "how do I say 'fuck you' in flower?" so I took that and ran with it. Legit ran a whole marathon with it.
Relationships: Mitsuki & Uzumaki Naruto, Mitsuki & Yamanaka Ino, Mitsuki & Yamanaka Inojin, Mitsuki/Uzumaki Boruto, Nara Shikadai & Uzumaki Boruto, Sai/Yamanaka Ino
Comments: 15
Kudos: 72
Collections: why im sleep deprived 💖✨





	Garden Growing From a Black Hole

**Author's Note:**

> Hi everyone! First thing's first, I need to thank my friend Masterodontochelys for helping me make this story! I've mentioned this story before but I haven't had the motivation to complete it... until now! Masterodontochelys has been simply amazing in helping me to develop the plot of this story! I honestly wouldn't have been able to complete this story without your help so thank you, Masterodontochelys, for your kindness, your enthusiasm, and most importantly for being such an inspiration to me! :)
> 
> Quick little fun fact, the title for this story was based off lyrics from a song by Halsey called "Garden."
> 
> This has been chilling in my laptop for years and it started off as just being a way for Boruto to say fuck you to his dad by using flowers and then it evolved into Mitsuki being a low key member of the ANBU. I don't want to spoil the fun but Mitsuki will be working at the Yamanaka flower shop AND will be a ninja so there's this cool alter ego to Mitsuki from going from a harmless flower child during the day to a cold blooded assassin in the night. Thank you all for tuning in for another story! I hope you all enjoy! :)
> 
> UPDATE:  
> I have uploaded a picture that the beautiful and oh so talented Masterodontochelys has made for this story and I cannot express how grateful I am! The fact that my friend took the time to research what the flowers look like that Mitsuki uses to poison and kill a rogue ninja still has me SHOOK! The dedication, effort, and love that went into this is beautiful. Everyone, please do myself and yourself a favor and show Masterodontochelys some love on Tumblr to see all the other art work she does! You can find this kind soul @ turtlieomega

The Yamanaka clan was widely known throughout the Hidden Leaf due to their mind transfer jutsu, but they were also known for their small flower shop. Though it was small, it was very popular because of how well maintained the flowers were. It was as if love was put into each flower. With Ino taking over the flower shop for her mother she needed more hands on deck to help her with everything.

She had tried to get her son, Inojin, interested in the flower shop at a young age but he was far more concerned with drawing with his father. The first time Ino left to go on a quick mission with Sai she put Inojin in charge of the flower shop. When she and Sai got back, there was colorful ink everywhere. It was like a rainbow threw up in the shop. She looked around and found Inojin using his super beast scroll jutsu to make a lizard walk around on some of the plants and flowers.

She was seething mad when she saw the lizard explode and splatter colorful ink all over. Inojin looked to his father to help him out but Sai had already escaped the flower shop when he saw the first vein in Ino’s forehead start to pop. He knew better than to stick around for when his wife was about to explode. Let’s just say Inojin was cleaning the shop and picking flowers for weeks to make up for the mess he made.

She shook her head and sighed to herself. Maybe it was time to ask someone outside of the Yamanaka clan to help take care of the flower shop. She asked everyone. Sarada was too busy training to spare even a couple hours to help out. Chocho agreed but only if she could eat on the job and if the food she ate while working was supplied to her.

Ino knew how much Choji ate and if Chocho ate like he did then she would not be able to afford to have her teammate’s daughter as an employee. She asked Metal Lee to help and he agreed. But as soon as she gave him the rules for the flower shop and how to properly maintain the flowers, he got nervous and caused more harm than good.

She didn’t dare ask Shikadai. He was just as lazy as his father when he was young so she knew better than to ask him of all the children. Ino had grown desperate and even asked Iwabe and Boruto but both of them turned her down, as well. It was hopeless. She was never going to find any help at this rate. If she couldn’t get her best friends’ children to help then who else was out there?

“Hello, are you still hiring?”

“Huh?”

“If the position is available then I’d like to work here.”

Ino looked up and gasped at the child that stood before her. He had a similar emotionless smile like her husband once had. He had warm, golden yellow eyes and light blue hair. She noted that his skin was almost as white as her lilies. He was truly a beautiful child but she had never seen him before. She had no idea who he was so could she really trust this child to help her with the flower shop?

“I’ve never seen you around before.”

“My name is Mitsuki. I am a transfer from the Hidden Sound.”

“The Hidden Sound?”

“That’s right. I’ve been transferred to the Leaf to strengthen our villages’ bond.”

She nodded back to him but she still felt uneasy. She didn’t know anything about this child but if he was a transfer then that would mean that Naruto deemed him okay to be in the village. If Naruto felt comfortable with this little Hidden Sound ninja in the Leaf then she could be comfortable letting him work for her in the flower shop.

“Alright, Mitsuki, you’re hired!”

He was a fast learner, much faster than Inojin and much faster than she ever was. It took one week for Mitsuki to learn how to keep the flowers fresh and well kept. Ino smiled as she watched him water some of the flowers by the windows. They hadn’t gotten to know each other that much but she had a good feeling about him. He was gentle and calm but he was obedient, as well.

Anything she told him to do by the end of his shift he would do in an hour. It wasn’t like he did it quick and sloppy, either. When he did everything, it was done at his own pace, but he didn’t realize it was considered fast to Ino. Most of the time Mitsuki could just be seen cleaning around the flower shop and then watering the flowers when it was their time.

“So, how’s that new kid working in your flower shop? He’s in Sarada and Inojin’s class.”

“He’s been a great help. Inojin says that Mitsuki’s very quiet.”

“Sarada says he reminds her of Sai.”

“I could’ve told you he’s a lot like Sai!”

Ino and Sakura laughed as they enjoyed a conversation down the street from the flower shop. The two ladies had made it back to the flower shop when Mitsuki walked out with two different flowers in each hand. He handed a delphinium to Ino and a gladiolus to Sakura. They both smiled but didn’t understand why he gave them those flowers. They were expecting roses or lilies.

He gave them both an emotionless smile as he answered the question they were both thinking, “Lady Sakura, I gave you a gladiolus because they symbolize strength of character, faithfulness and honor. Lady Ino, I gave you a delphinium because they symbolize big-heartedness, fun, lightness, and levity. I hope you enjoy them. I picked them especially for you two this morning.”

Before they could say anything, he had walked away. Ino smiled, it was the end of his shift so he must have been headed home now. Sakura looked down at her flower, smiling to herself at the fact that a child had gone through the trouble of finding a flower that matched her in every way. Sakura looked at Ino’s flower and reflected on why Mitsuki got her that one. Yes, the delphinium matched Ino, as well.

There was something different about Mitsuki.

* * *

That night Ino was sitting by her window, staring at the lone flower Mitsuki had given her. Since then, she had placed it in a white vase. She didn’t even notice her husband had come into the room until she heard his voice, “You’re thinking about him, aren’t you?”

“S-Sai… he’s a good kid but I feel like I know nothing about him.”

“Let’s have him over for dinner then. He’s friends with Inojin, right?”

“Well, yeah but-“

“It’s settled then! We’ll have him over for dinner tomorrow night.”

Ino smiled as her husband left the room. Well, that was one way to get to know someone. Sai was just trying to help Ino but to be honest, Sai wanted to know more about this child. He was still in the academy, so Sai wanted to know what Mitsuki’s fighting style was like and who he could potentially be partnered with when he graduated. There was also a lot of mystery surrounding Mitsuki’s origins. If he was from the Hidden Sound then Sai had some speculations on who Mitsuki’s parents were.

When Inojin came home from the academy the next day he brought Mitsuki along with him. The two didn’t really talk a lot but that was because they never truly had a reason to. Mitsuki was watching Inojin draw while his parents made dinner in the kitchen. Mitsuki smiled as Inojin drew a salamander and made it come to life. It walked off the page and padded over to Mitsuki, sticking its tongue out as it walked onto his hand.

“That means he likes you, Mitsuki!”

“Really?”

Mitsuki stared at the colorful little salamander with wide yellow eyes. Both boys gasped when the salamander slowly started to melt away into a pool of rainbow ink. Inojin was expecting Mitsuki to cry out and say how gross the ink was in his hand but instead, he observed it. He was fascinated by the ink and Inojin didn’t know if he should be happy he wasn’t grossed out or if Mitsuki was just plain weird.

As Mitsuki was washing the ink off of his hands in the bathroom he heard Ino calling the boys in the dining room for dinner. He dried his hands and smiled as he watched Inojin race into the dining room to take a seat. Mitsuki took the empty seat across from Inojin and thanked the family for having him over for dinner.

“So, Mitsuki, where are your parents? I was hoping to invite your family over, too.”

“That’s very kind but my parent did not come with me to Konoha.”

“You mean you’re all alone here?”

“That’s right.”

Ino was about to say something but Mitsuki spoke again, “I don’t really mind. I’m quite content living by myself. I speak to my family nearly every day through snakes. I believe I have friends at the academy… or well, I don’t really know if my endeavors have worked out in my favor. I haven’t been around this many people before.”

This kid was weird.

Inojin was giving Mitsuki the most confused look of his life and Mitsuki just smiled back. Sai gave his famous fake smile and that’s when Mitsuki looked to Inojin’s father, “You’re good friends with the Seventh Hokage. How did you make friends? Considering you were from ROOT, it must have been hard for you.”

Ino’s eyes widened, how did this child know Sai was from ROOT? None of the Konoha 12 children knew about it, not even Inojin. Sai looked at his wife and son before explaining, “I read a lot of books on emotions and developing friendships. I’m afraid they caused more trouble than good. It’s all about being yourself and letting people into your life.”

“I see.”

“Mitsuki, who are your parents?”

“Oh, I only have one parent. His name is Orochimaru.”

Ino and Sai both dropped their forks on their plates. Mitsuki was smiling until he saw the confused yet scared looks on their faces. Inojin didn’t know who Orochimaru was so he just kept eating. The blonde child had a mouth full of food when he looked at Mitsuki.

“Who’s Orochimaru?”

“He’s my parent. He created me in his lab.”

“He created you? That’s impossible!”

“But it’s true… I’m a synthetic human.”

“Wow! That’s so cool!”

Ino and Sai had no words. This was why Mitsuki was so different. He didn’t know how to be normal because his life was anything but normal. That’s why his smile was so emotionless and why his personality came off as weird. He was calm and polite but sometimes the words he said just sounded strange coming out of his mouth. He was far from normal and far from human.

The rest of the night was awkward, to say the least. Inojin kept asking questions about where Mitsuki was from and what it was like to be a synthetic human. Mitsuki had no issue talking about his creation but it appeared that Ino and Sai were very concerned for Mitsuki. The blue haired male hoped he hadn’t said anything to upset them.

When Mitsuki was leaving, only Ino walked him to the door. As he walked outside, he turned to face her. He had a small smile on his face as he stated, “I’m sorry I ruined your evening. Thank you for dinner and… for accepting me.”

“Mitsuki… please come to me if you need anything okay? You’re not alone here.”

He nodded to her with a smile but this time she could have sworn it was real. He turned and began his walk home. Ino closed the door and sighed, she hoped that everything would be okay with Mitsuki. His parent was responsible for so much destruction in the Leaf but it seemed he might have changed his ways.

She hoped Mitsuki would be better than his parent.

* * *

Mitsuki had been working in the flower shop for a couple months now, growing acquainted with some of the people who would come in more often than others. Mitsuki could be heard humming sometimes and if you were lucky you could hear him singing under his breath as he watered plants and flowers around the shop. He was really quite happy working for Ino and was pleased to have grown closer to Inojin.

Mitsuki was behind the counter watering some of the freshly picked flowers when he heard someone slam their hand on the counter. A familiar voice asked in an irritated tone, “How do I passive-aggressively say ‘fuck you’ in flower?”

“Excuse me?”

“Huh? Oh, Mitsuki! I didn’t know you worked at Inojin’s flower shop!”

“Yes, I’ve been working here for a few months now.”

“So, that means you speak flower! You just gotta help me out, you know?”

Mitsuki put the watering can down and turned to face Boruto. He tilted his head slightly in confusion as he asked, “Why would you want to use flowers to say something like that to anyone? Especially using flowers to be passive-aggressive.”

Boruto sounded determined as he explained, “My dad’s kinda sick, you know? So, my mom told me to go down to the flower shop and pick out a bouquet for him to say ‘get well soon’ but I’d rather say ‘fuck you, stupid old man’ instead so you just gotta help me out! You know these flowers better than I do!”

“If that’s what you want then okay.”

Boruto grinned as he saw Mitsuki moving all around the flower shop picking certain flowers for the bouquet. Boruto could’ve sworn he saw the faintest of smiles on Mitsuki’s face as he sauntered from one part of the shop to the other. When Mitsuki was finished he held the bouquet out in front of Boruto.

“Well, what do you think?”

Before Boruto could tell his friend the bouquet looked too pretty, Mitsuki explained, “You see, although it looks beautiful it is anything but that. The geraniums are for stupidity, the foxglove are for insincerity, the meadowsweet are for uselessness, the anemone are for sickness, the begonia are for dark thoughts, and the orange lilies are for hatred. Is this okay?”

“Mitsuki it’s perfect!”

Mitsuki smiled, he had done a good job and made his friend happy. Mitsuki handed the flowers over to Boruto, noticing that when the blonde slammed his fist on the counter he dropped twenty dollars on it. Boruto winked at his friend as he walked out of the flower shop, “Keep the change, Mitsuki! I’ll see you later!”

“What an intriguing human.”

* * *

Mitsuki was watering the flowers the day before graduation when Boruto had decided to stop by. Mitsuki had sensed him coming, which caused him to smile at that familiar warm chakra. Boruto had made many appearances in the flower shop since the day he had asked Mitsuki to make him a passive-aggressive bouquet of flowers for his sick father.

Mitsuki turned around and smiled when he saw Boruto enter the shop. There was a cheeky grin on Boruto’s face that Mitsuki had become so accustomed to seeing. That bright smile was something that Mitsuki would compare to the sun. Boruto’s entire presence was warm and inviting. No matter how hard Mitsuki tried to keep his distance from Boruto, he couldn’t do it.

There was something about Boruto that made him gravitate towards him. Mitsuki had wondered if Boruto was using some sort of forbidden jutsu to make him want to be around the blonde. He had spent an entire day in the Leaf’s library looking up forbidden jutsus but none of them could explain how Boruto was making Mitsuki want to be around him. That’s when Mitsuki realized it might not be a jutsu.

It might just be something about Boruto.

Boruto was happily running towards Mitsuki at this point. Mitsuki watched as Boruto ran across a part of the floor where he had spilt some water. The blue haired male brought his free long sleeved hand to his face as he hummed in laughter at the sight of Boruto sliding around. Boruto was determined not to fall but Mitsuki couldn’t help but think the blonde looked like he was slipping on ice.

Just as Boruto was about to fall on his ass, Mitsuki put the watering can on the table and stretched his arm out to stabilize his friend. Mitsuki’s arm wrapped around his friend like a snake and Boruto couldn’t help but feel a sense of comfort being confined within Mitsuki’s arm. Mitsuki was still humming in laughter as he pulled Boruto away from the dangerous puddle on the floor.

“I had the situation under control, Mitsuki!”

“Oh, should I put you back then?”

“No! Uh, I mean, no, it’s cool.”

Once Boruto was in front of Mitsuki, the blue haired male released him. Mitsuki had a smile on his face as he grabbed the watering can and made his way towards the other side of the shop to water the other flowers. Mitsuki had a feeling Boruto wanted to talk to him about something but he seemed a little conflicted. Mitsuki shrugged to himself. He was a patient person so he could wait for Boruto to get his shit together.

After a few minutes, Boruto had finally gained the courage to talk to Mitsuki. The blue haired male was watering some lilies when Boruto began, “Don’t tell anyone but… I’m a little nervous about graduation tomorrow. I know everyone expects me to be confident but what if I’m placed on a team with people who can’t work with someone like me? What if I’m… too much?”

Mitsuki froze in his place, clearly taken off guard from listening to Boruto. Mitsuki shook his head, stopping himself from overwatering the lilies. He brought the watering can to his chest, holding it as if it was a pillow. He just couldn’t believe someone as confident as Boruto had fears that he wasn’t good enough. Someone as optimistic as Boruto felt like he wouldn’t belong.

Someone like Boruto felt the same way he did.

Boruto was starting to think that he had said too much. He was starting to feel uncomfortable because Mitsuki wasn’t saying anything back to him. He was starting to wonder if Mitsuki didn’t like him continuously coming into talk to him. Boruto was starting to think that he had mistaken Mitsuki’s kindness for someone just putting up with him. He was wondering if Mitsuki was just showing him good customer service skills.

Just as Boruto was going to leave the shop to avoid the awkwardness, Mitsuki turned around. Mitsuki was clutching the watering can, as if he was using it as a way to provide comfort to him. He had a light pink blush on his face as he said softly, “I never knew someone as confident as you had any insecurities. I always thought that nothing bothered you and if something was blocking your path, you would find some way to get through it.”

Boruto’s eyes were wide with surprise. As he looked at Mitsuki, he noticed the blue haired male’s eyes couldn’t meet his gaze. He sounded shy as he continued, “I don’t think that you’re too much, Boruto. I don’t think you notice it but I do… I can see how everyone tries harder when you’re pushing them. If anything, I think the people who will be on your team might not be enough.”

“What do you mean?”

The blonde walked over and placed his hands on Mitsuki’s. The blue haired male had a small smile on his face as he elaborated, “I don’t know how anyone will be able to compete with your energy and skills. Whoever is put on your team doesn’t understand just how lucky they will be to be able to call you their teammate, Boruto.”

“You really think so?”

“Yes… I really do.”

“I hope you’re on my team, you know?”

“Y-You… you want me on your team?”

“Of course, I want you!”

The blush on Mitsuki’s face deepened as those words hung in the air. As soon as Boruto realized what he had said he removed himself from Mitsuki and started flailing his arms around dramatically as he rambled, “I, uh, I didn’t mean it like that! I mean, yeah, I think you’re pretty, you know? Uh, I mean, you’re pretty good at ninjutsu, yeah! So, yeah, of course, I would want to be on the same team as you.”

Mitsuki’s light laugh brought Boruto out of his dramatic scene he was causing in the shop. Boruto regained his composure as he stared at Mitsuki humming in laughter in his left hand sleeve. Boruto had a smile on his face as he realized there were plenty of beautiful things in this shop but not even the flowers could compare to Mitsuki’s beauty.

Boruto was determined to make Mitsuki his one day.

* * *

It was the day of graduation and Mitsuki was passing by the flower shop, as he usually did to go to the academy. He was surprised to see Ino outside watering the flowers this early but he smiled when he saw her notice him. She waved at him with a bright smile on her face. Mitsuki returned the smile and wave, telling her that he would fill her in on everything after graduation.

Mitsuki was about to continue to the academy when heard Inojin calling for him to wait up. He turned to see the blonde waving goodbye to his mother. Inojin quickly caught his breath and snickered to himself, “I really need to work on my cardio or I’ll be looking like Chubs pretty soon.”

“Should I refer to Chocho as Chubs, as well?”

“Not unless you want to get punched.”

“That doesn’t sound pleasant.”

Inojin couldn’t help but laugh at Mitsuki’s remark. Over the time that Mitsuki had been working in the flower shop, he had been making more appearances in the Yamanaka household. At first, it was Ino and Sai inviting Mitsuki over for dinner but now it was Inojin dragging the blue haired male over. Inojin thought Mitsuki was weird in the beginning but Mitsuki’s the kind of person who grows on you after a while. He’s got odd mannerisms but it’s the kind of odd that makes you laugh.

The two friends continued on their walk to the academy. It was mostly Inojin doing the talking but Mitsuki added some points of his own if he thought it was necessary. Inojin was going on about how lame it’s going to be if he’s not placed on the same team as Shikadai and Chocho, seeing as how they had been training together to prepare themselves to continue the Ino-Shika-Cho formation.

The duo entered the academy, meeting up with their friends in the back. Mitsuki was actually surprised that the Hokage had come to see everyone graduate. Mitsuki couldn’t shake the feeling that the Hokage was watching him. It was like the Hokage’s eyes were trained on him and Mitsuki didn’t know if Naruto was actually looking at him or if there was someone behind him he was watching.

Mitsuki shook his head at the thought and then stepped into line. He was standing in between Inojin and Chocho. He normally didn’t mind Chocho but today she was starting to bother him with her excessive nervous eating. Some of the crumbs were getting on his clothes and he was not a fan of that. He had to take a deep breath to calm himself. He was silently resisting the urge to summon a snake to eat her entire bag of chips.

He stood there patiently waiting for his name to be called. Throughout the entire ceremony, Mitsuki continued to feel the Hokage’s eyes on him. Mitsuki was hoping that he hadn’t done anything to upset the Hokage. Mitsuki tried to recall his past actions but all he could think of that he had done was work at the flower shop, go to the academy, and breathe. Neither of those things seemed to be punishable offenses.

Mitsuki smiled when he heard Inojin’s name being called. Inojin gave a playful punch to Mitsuki’s arm, his own way of telling him that he’ll get his team soon. The blue haired male watched as Inojin was placed on the same team as Chocho and Shikadai, confirming that the Ino-Shika-Cho formation would continue to live on in this new generation.

As the group of children waiting to be placed on teams dwindled down, Mitsuki realized there was a high possibility that he would be placed on the same team as Boruto. He felt his face heating up at the thought of going on missions with Boruto. Part of him was hoping he would be on Boruto’s team so that they could spend every day together. Those moments where Boruto would come visit him in the flower shop would never be enough.

It would never be enough for Mitsuki.

Mitsuki’s eyes widened when he sensed the Hokage’s chakra coming towards him. He looked up and that’s when he saw that Naruto had a jonin with him. Mitsuki had done his research on the village so he knew that the jonin was Konohamaru Sarutobi. Mitsuki avoided Konohamaru’s gaze. He didn’t feel like he deserved to look Konohamaru in the eyes after what his parent did to the Third Hokage.

The blue haired male gasped when he heard Naruto announce, “I wanted to personally read off the names of the people who will be on Team Seven with Konohamaru as their squad leader. The new Team Seven will consist of Sarada Uchiha, Boruto Uzumaki, and Mitsuki.”

Sarada couldn’t hide her smile. This was what she was hoping for. Well, she was hoping she wouldn’t be placed on the same team as Boruto but she was hoping to be a member of the new Team Seven. She thought that if she was on Team Seven then she was getting closer to becoming more like Naruto. She wanted to be Hokage one day so she figured being on Team Seven would help her walk in his footsteps.

Boruto was excited that he was on the same team as Mitsuki. He would be annoyed later when it finally registered in his head that he would be on the same team as Sarada, as well. He pushed that thought into the back of his mind and focused on being on a team with Mitsuki. Finally, he had the chance to be with Mitsuki every day to try to get him to fall in love with him.

“Mitsuki, I’d like you to come with me.”

“Yes, Lord Seventh.”

Mitsuki couldn’t even feel excited because he was overcome with nervousness and a hint of fear. He smiled back at Sarada and Boruto, trying to reassure them that he would join them soon. Boruto looked like he wanted to protest but Sarada grabbed his sleeve and forced him to follow her and Konohamaru. Boruto looked back at Mitsuki and sent him a bright grin to try to comfort him.

Naruto led Mitsuki over to a lone swing under a large tree. Naruto motioned for Mitsuki to sit in the swing. As the blue haired male complied, Naruto couldn’t help but get a feeling of nostalgia. He remembered when he was sitting in this same swing staring out at all the people who desperately wanted to ignore his existence. He stared down at Mitsuki, noticing that desire to be wanted by others in his eyes.

Mitsuki was an awful lot like him.

The blonde remembered when Mitsuki came into the village to request citizenship. Mitsuki looked emotionless at first glance, but the more Naruto stared at him the more he noticed his eyes looked terrified. Here was a child entering an entirely new village all alone. He knew nobody and he knew that people would be aware of his origins just by looking into his eyes. He knew that not everyone would welcome him. Mitsuki knew people would look at him the same way people used to look at Naruto.

He had a small smile on his face as he realized that there was a difference between him and Mitsuki. While Naruto did a lot of pranking to force people to notice him, Mitsuki stayed in the background so that no one would notice him. Mitsuki had this idea in his head that it would be better to blend into the crowd than to be out in the open for everyone to see him. He didn’t want the attention of everyone in the village, he just wanted the attention of a small few.

Naruto was brought out of his thoughts when he saw Mitsuki starting to slowly swing himself forward. Mitsuki wasn’t looking at the Hokage as he asked, “What do you like best about this village, Lord Seventh?”

The blonde smiled and moved so that he was gently pushing Mitsuki on the swing. Naruto kept that smile on his face as he replied, “It’s definitely the people. I grew up without a mom and dad so I didn’t have much of a family by blood… but as the years went by I found out that I always had a family, you know?”

Mitsuki had a small smile on his face as he listened to the Hokage continue, “I guess I always knew I had a family but it took me going through some of my lowest moments to realize that you don’t have to be related by blood to be family. I’m telling you this because I don’t want you to have to go through low points to know you’re a part of a family already.”

“I sense there is more on your mind.”

“Yeah, I need you for a mission.”

“What can I do for you, Lord Seventh?”

Everyone watching them would just see a man pushing a boy on the swings but it was really the Hokage assigning a recent academy graduate a top secret mission. Naruto explained, “I need you to track a lone rogue ninja and terminate them. We’re past the point of reasoning with them. They have killed innocent lives and I cannot allow that to continue.”

“I understand.”

Naruto let out a deep sigh before continuing, “I feel like I’m going against everything I am as a ninja by assigning you this mission but I can’t let innocent blood continue to be spilt. This rogue has been spotted just outside of the Hidden Mist. Chojuro has granted us permission to eliminate him so once you’re done the Hidden Mist will handle the rest. Do you have any questions?”

“I have one, Lord Seventh.”

“Ask away!”

“Why have you chosen me for this mission?”

The blonde gently stopped Mitsuki from swinging. He moved so that he had gotten down on one knee in front of Mitsuki so that they could be at eye level. Those bright blue eyes didn’t hold a playful look in them like they usually did. These eyes were much more serious and Mitsuki had determined he liked them better when they were playful.

Mitsuki tilted his head as he listened to the Hokage’s answer, “You’re different from everyone else, you know? I know you have this innocent front that you put on when you work at the Yamanaka flower shop but there’s more to you, isn’t there? I saw your records at the academy, Mitsuki… you’re at the top of the class and much more advanced than all the others.”

“What are you trying to say?”

“You didn’t even need to go to the academy.”

Both of their faces were expressionless as Naruto went on, “Orochimaru told me that he created you to be genetically perfect and it seems that he was right. You should be a chunin and even a jonin in another year or two. You shouldn’t be a genin but you chose to go to the academy… why did you do that?”

“I wanted a family, just like you.”

“We’re more alike than I thought, you know?”

Mitsuki smiled back at the Hokage, cherishing the words he said. Naruto let out another sigh before he stated, “I know you want to have a family but you’re capable of bigger things. I’ll let you stay on Team Seven but I’ll be asking you to go on higher ranked missions from time to time.”

“Does Konohamaru-sensei know?”

“No, he doesn’t.”

“Are you ashamed, Lord Seventh?”

Naruto’s blue eyes widened in surprise, yet, there was no expression on Mitsuki’s face when he asked that question. Naruto shook his head as he replied, “I’m far from being ashamed, Mitsuki. I just didn’t want people looking at you like you have no soul. I don’t want people to know because I don’t want them judging your life before they get to meet you, you know?”

The blue haired male nodded back to Naruto. The blonde had a small smile on his face as he patted Mitsuki’s head. Mitsuki looked up at the Hokage as he stated, “You’ve done your part to protect this village... to protect this family.”

“It’s time I did my part.”

* * *

By day, Mitsuki was this innocent little snake who worked in the Yamanaka flower shop until he was called for missions. Ino would always watch him hang his apron up and wave goodbye as he ran out of the shop. She had come to notice that he would leave a new flower in one of the pockets of the apron with a note attached to it. Each note explained the hidden meaning behind the flower. Ino couldn’t help but smile at how much Mitsuki cared about what he did in the flower shop.

By night, Mitsuki was a ruthless assassin. He was dressed in all black, helping him to blend in with the shadows. He had a sword in a holster on his back, waiting to be grabbed to slash at a rogue ninja. Long gone was the innocent little snake who worked in the Yamanaka flower shop. By night, he had transformed into an assassin who embraced his cold blooded origins.

Mitsuki took pride in what he did for Naruto. He knew that he was basically an ANBU but Naruto didn’t want him to classify as such until he was promoted to chunin. Naruto had come to want Mitsuki to know how to work with others on teams so that he wouldn’t learn to hate others. Mitsuki needed to know how to cooperate with those less skilled than himself.

Naruto might have wanted Mitsuki to develop connections with his teammates but he wasn’t expecting the connection between his son and Mitsuki to develop into something else, something deeper. The connection they shared was moving past teammates and into unknown territory for both males. Their connection was evolving into something more than friendship.

They were learning to love each other.

Boruto was learning to love the matter-of-fact way Mitsuki spoke. He was learning to love the calm aura that constantly surrounded Mitsuki. He was learning to love the sound of Mitsuki’s real laugh when it slipped out. He was learning to love the fluidity in Mitsuki’s movements, as if he was too graceful to be real. Boruto was learning to love everything about Mitsuki that the blonde wished he could be.

Boruto envied Mitsuki.

He envied the relationship Mitsuki had with his own father. He was jealous of how often Naruto would call for Mitsuki to see him. He was envious of how he suspected Mitsuki was going on missions without the rest of Team Seven. He was jealous that Naruto had deemed Mitsuki’s skills to be more advanced than his own. Yet, that jealousy had turned into admiration soon enough.

The blonde had learned to admire how Mitsuki’s awkward socialization skills actually caused people to yearn to be around him. He admired how Mitsuki’s ninjutsu skills were beyond his years. He admired how Mitsuki never made a sound when he moved. He admired how Mitsuki truly embodied what it meant to be a shinobi.

On the other hand, Mitsuki was learning to love Boruto in all the ways people criticized him. Mitsuki was learning to love how loud Boruto was, especially when he had a plan or idea that excited him. Mitsuki was learning to love how Boruto could make people gravitate towards him just by being himself. Mitsuki was learning to love how persistent Boruto was, especially when it concerned his friends or team. Mitsuki was learning to love everything about Boruto that the blue haired male wasn’t.

Years passed as fast as minutes to them.

The touches of hands that had once been innocent could now be seen as flirtatious. The looks that Mitsuki sent Boruto’s way could now be seen as longing instead of staring at Boruto as if he was questioning his intelligence. The words they spoke to one another were deeper now, hidden meaning lingering within each sentence. The love they had for each other was present but neither of them spoke it into existence.

Boruto was fighting the urge to hold Mitsuki’s hand the day they were promoted to chunin. To Konohamaru, it was the day he had to let his team go so they could grow more independently. To Boruto, it was the day he could finally train to be like his uncle Sasuke. To Sarada, this was a step that brought her closer to one day becoming the Hokage. To Mitsuki, this was the day he would be able to truly call himself a member of the ANBU for the Hidden Leaf.

Each of them had their own goals, some of which were concealed from the others. Though Mitsuki had goals that were going in the complete opposite direction of his teammates, he still wanted to help them achieve their goals. He also still wanted to work at the Yamanaka flower shop, much to Ino’s surprise.

After the day he was promoted to chunin, she was surprised when he came into the shop and came behind the counter to put his apron on. He could sense a disturbance in her chakra so he turned to her and sent her the same emotionless smile he would give her when he was younger. At first, that smile made her cringe but now she felt herself growing comfortable at the sight of his smile.

“You came back.”

“Did you think I wouldn’t?”

There was a playful tone in Mitsuki’s voice, causing Ino to shake her head with a smile. She kept that smile on her face as she replied, “I thought you wouldn’t have the time to keep working here with me. I thought you’d be getting sent on missions so I wasn’t sure if you’d still have the time to keep up with this old lady in this old shop.”

Mitsuki hummed in laughter at the older woman before he countered, “I wouldn’t consider you or the shop to be old… yet, I would consider your old medical ninjutsu master and my aunt Tsunade to be old.”

Mitsuki’s sense of humor was dry, especially when he tried to make jokes but Ino had come to love it. Ino couldn’t help but place a hand to her mouth, as if she was trying to contain her laughter. Mitsuki just hummed again as her giggle escaped from her hand. He took pride in the moments where he could make others laugh. It made him feel like he was one step closer to being more like Boruto.

The two of them grabbed watering cans and proceeded to walk around the shop, carefully providing water to the flowers in need. Ino wasn’t facing him when she spoke, “I can’t keep up with this shop forever, Mitsuki. One of these days, I’ll have to hang up the apron for good.”

“I didn’t take you to be a pessimist, Ino.”

Ino smiled at the familiarity, instead of being called Lady Ino. She had wondered when he stopped calling her Lady Ino. She couldn’t remember when it had started but she found that she liked the sound of Ino coming off of his tongue better. It made her feel like they weren’t a teacher and a student anymore. It made her feel like they were friends.

Like they were family.

Ino shook her head, a smile once again present on her face. She stood up straight but still didn’t face the other male as she stated, “Consider me a realist, Mitsuki. I know I can’t do this forever so I’ve been thinking. I know this is the Yamanaka flower shop but I can’t help but get the feeling Inojin would feel like this shop is a burden, rather than an escape from reality.”

“Flowers aren’t fond of Inojin, either.”

“I know… but they’re fond of you, Mitsuki.”

“There’s such hidden beauty to flowers.”

Ino finally turned around, finally taking in the sight of the other male. He had a warm smile on his face as he leaned over to water a pot of sprouting buds. He was right in front of a window, causing the light to shine down at him to make him look like a greater being from above was smiling down on him. She had never seen someone look so at peace before, as if he was trying to be one with the flowers.

Mitsuki wasn’t looking at her. His attention was on the flowers as he continued, “While people look at flowers and find their outer appearance to be beautiful, I believe it is the true essence of the flower that makes it so lovely. We grow the most beautiful flowers in the Leaf here but it’s not because of how they look… it’s because of the love we put into them.”

“It’s you, Mitsuki.”

“Hm?”

“It’s always been you.”

The blue haired male shifted his attention to the blonde, who was now walking over to him. Mitsuki looked up at the woman who had given him so much more than a job. He had finally taken in how she was growing older but Mitsuki would argue that she didn’t age like flowers. She didn’t wilt the more she aged, instead, Mitsuki would have argued that she blossomed once more. Her true essence would always be beautiful to Mitsuki.

She held a watering can in one hand and she used her free hand to place it on his shoulder. She had a small smile on her face as she stated, “This flower shop has always belonged to you, Mitsuki. I’m merely maintaining it until the day you decide you want to take it off my hands. I’ve always known I would leave the Yamanaka flower shop to you.”

“But… I’m not a Yamanaka.”

Mitsuki was surprised when she put the watering can on the ground and pulled Mitsuki in for a hug. Mitsuki remained in her embrace, not fully returning it because of the watering can in one of his hands. He wrapped an arm around her the best he could, trying to show her that he cared for her, as well. He dropped the watering can on the ground when the words she whispered to him finally hit him. Mitsuki was reminded of his conversation with Naruto.

“You don’t need the last name to be a Yamanaka.”

* * *

Mitsuki was surprised when he walked into the Hokage’s office to find Boruto standing in front of his father’s desk. Mitsuki was under the impression that he was going to be given his next assassination mission so he was unsure of why Boruto was present. He closed the door behind him and walked over to stand beside his love interest. A light pink blush dusted across his face when he caught Boruto sneaking glances at him.

Naruto looked between the two males before stating, “I’ve asked both of you to come here because I would like Boruto to accompany you, Mitsuki. I understand that you want to go down the same path as Sasuke but there are things I don’t think you’re completely ready for, Boruto. I know you won’t listen to me so I have no choice but to do this the hard way.”

Boruto wanted to intervene but Naruto quickly cut him off, “The path Sasuke is going down is not one that is easy or pleasant. There are difficult choices that Sasuke has to make and some of these choices involve eliminating threats to the Leaf and the other nations. The life you want, Boruto, is not as pretty as you might think it is.”

“What does this have to do with Mitsuki?”

“Mitsuki’s been walking this path for years.”

“What… what are you talking about, old man?”

Mitsuki avoided looking at everyone as Naruto answered, “Do you remember the day you graduated from the academy and were placed on your teams? Do you remember how I took Mitsuki away to talk to him? It was that day that I had asked Mitsuki to take a mission to terminate a rogue ninja spotted by the Hidden Mist.”

Boruto grit his teeth as he listened to his father, “Mitsuki set out for the Hidden Mist and was successful in tracking the rogue ninja down. He was successful in eliminating the threat. The rogue ninja didn’t see it coming. He wasn’t expecting a child to be sent out to take him down so Mitsuki caught him off guard. Mitsuki has been acting as an ANBU ever since he graduated from the academy.”

“How could you…”

“Boruto-“

“How could you send a child?!”

Boruto had marched over to the desk and slammed his hands down on it, creating some cracks that Naruto ignored for the moment. Boruto was in his face shouting angrily, “How could you send Mitsuki out there on a mission like that when he was that young?! He could’ve been killed! Why would you even _think_ to send a child out there?! Especially Mitsuki!”

“Boruto…”

All the anger Boruto had towards his father melted into nothing the moment he heard Mitsuki’s soft voice. He felt a cold hand latch onto his wrist, gently tearing him away from the desk. Mitsuki couldn’t look Boruto in the eye as he confessed, “I came to the village to be of assistance to the Hokage in any way he saw fit. I… I was created to be able to go on these kinds of missions.”  
  


“Created? What are you talking about?”

“I’m… I’m not like you, Boruto.”

“Mitsuki… what are you trying to say?”

The blue haired male wrapped his arms around himself, as if he was trying to provide comfort to himself. Mitsuki had tears in his eyes as he admitted, “I was created by Orochimaru to be a perfect synthetic human. I have been modified so that I am genetically perfect, making me… making me the ultimate weapon.”

Boruto’s eyes were wide as he listened to the words Mitsuki spoke. He could see there were tears threatening to spill from those bright yellow eyes. He could tell this was a sensitive topic for Mitsuki to talk about. Boruto couldn’t imagine the internal turmoil Mitsuki had been facing since he was created. Boruto couldn’t imagine what it must feel like to know you’re not like everyone else and you never would be.

Mitsuki was expecting Boruto to be disgusted with him for not only being an experiment but for also lying all these years about his origins. The only people who knew about his origins were the Yamanaka family and Naruto because those were the only people he could trust to not be judgmental. He wondered if the romance he thought he was developing with Boruto would shatter now.

Who could love someone like him?

Just as a tear was about to escape, Mitsuki felt the air leave his lungs as two strong arms wrapped around him. Mitsuki’s eyes closed and let himself sink into Boruto. It had been such a long time since someone held him close like this. There was a certain warmth Mitsuki felt in this protective embrace. Any fear Mitsuki had about Boruto thinking differently of him had vanished.

Mitsuki nuzzled his face into the crook of Boruto’s neck. He had expected Boruto to have a scent similar to that of cedarwood but he was pleasantly surprised when Boruto smelled of frankincense. While there was still that faint smell of wood, there was also the scent of spice, which Mitsuki thought was quite accurate to who Boruto was. He was strong but there was a bit of spice to him, although Inojin would say that the spice is actually sass.

Mitsuki inhaled the faint scent of frankincense before moving out of the crook of Boruto’s neck. The two males stared into each other’s eyes, completely forgetting that Naruto was in the background groaning loudly. Naruto was certainly not expecting this whole love scene to be playing out after Mitsuki revealed his origins. Naruto smacked his head on the desk in obvious frustration.

“I hope I get a splinter in my eye.”

Boruto and Mitsuki blinked a few times, slowly bringing themselves out of the moment they were sharing. They removed themselves from their embrace and stared at the mess they had turned the Hokage into. Naruto lazily picked his head up from the desk, silently begging them to keep their hands off each other for at least five minutes.

Naruto rubbed his face, trying to help himself focus on the task at hand. He took a deep breath before stating, “Boruto, I want you to go with Mitsuki on this mission so you can get a taste of what Sasuke’s missions are like. You both need to leave for the Hidden Stone. There’s been sightings of a rogue ninja beyond the village walls.”

“We won’t fail you, Lord Seventh.”

* * *

The two males were jumping from branch to branch, quickly making their way to the Hidden Stone. Mitsuki was a little ways ahead of Boruto, leading the way so if he sensed anyone he could stop them. Boruto had been on plenty of missions with Mitsuki before but this one felt different. There was something almost ominous about the usually calm aura surrounding Mitsuki.

“He’s up ahead.”  
  


Mitsuki stopped on a branch, closing his eyes as he concentrated on the chakra ahead. Boruto landed next to him and awaited Mitsuki’s analysis of the situation. Mitsuki’s eyes opened and focused on Boruto as he confirmed, “He is alone. I sense no other chakras with him. His chakra level is low so I assume he was in battle earlier today.”

“So, what’s the plan, Mitsuki?”

“I can handle him.”

“I’m not letting you go in alone, you know!”

“This is not up for debate, Boruto.”

There was something stern in the way Mitsuki spoke to him. Boruto had not experienced that before from Mitsuki. Mitsuki’s eyes softened when he realized Boruto wasn’t used to this nor was he used to this much more serious version of Mitsuki. The blue haired male reached for Boruto’s hand, giving it a little squeeze.

Boruto couldn’t help but squeeze the pale hand back. Mitsuki had a small smile on his face as he said, “I have always been the one to follow you, Boruto, but this time it is you who must follow me. You have lit my path for me for years but it is time I lit your path. In this darkness… allow me to light the way.”

The blonde couldn’t even object because Mitsuki had disappeared in a pile of snakes. Boruto shook his head with a smile, muttering under his breath than Mitsuki definitely was a slithery little snake. Boruto jumped towards where the rogue was resting. The rogue was sitting before a small fire with a long sword sitting beside him. Boruto was wondering how Mitsuki was going to immobilize the rogue.

Boruto quietly gasped as he saw a small white snake slither out from the bushes. The rogue cocked an eyebrow at the snake as it made its way over to him. The snake lifted its head so that it was looking at the rogue. The ninja shifted to reach for his blade but the small snake’s eyes narrowed at him and hissed. The rogue was about to grab the sword but growled when snakes appeared from the ground and bit his sword, dragging it down into the earth with them.

The rogue stood up, gritting his teeth as he suspected there was someone watching him. He looked left and then to the right, gasping when he thought he saw someone standing behind his fire. He snapped his head to where he thought he saw someone but there was no one there. He shook his head, trying to convince himself that he saw someone there.

The rogue took a deep breath and closed his eyes, trying to calm himself down. When he opened his eyes, he saw that his sword was back on the ground where it originally was. The rogue took another deep breath. He closed his eyes and continued to take deep breaths to calm himself. When he opened his eyes, he was met with sinister glowing yellow orbs.

“Boo.”

Mitsuki watched as the rogue stumbled back, tripping over a snake that the chunin summoned. The rogue fell to the ground and was about to get back to his feet when he felt himself get pinned down by numerous white snakes. The man fought back against the snakes, causing Mitsuki to smile. He loved it when people thought they could break free from his snakes.

He walked over to the rogue’s sword and picked it up, inspecting the blade. The sword had a similar make to the executioner’s blade but this one wouldn’t require immense strength to wield. Mitsuki hummed in laughter as he could faintly hear his caregiver’s words in his ears calling the rogue’s sword a bitch blade.

“Let me go, you little shit!”

“I’m afraid I can’t do that.”

“I’m going to wipe that smile off your face!”

“Are you, now?”

Mitsuki walked over to the rogue and stared down at him with cold yellow eyes. The blue haired male kept his smile on his face as he chuckled darkly, “How are you going to wipe this smile off my face when you’re caught in this predicament? I fail to understand how you’re going to follow through on your words.”

The rogue glared at Mitsuki, causing the blue haired male to continue to smile back. Mitsuki silently ordered the snakes to constrict him even more. The rogue cried out in pain as he felt the snakes squeezing him tighter with each minute. Boruto could see the look in Mitsuki’s eyes and he feared it. He feared the sparkle he saw in Mitsuki’s eyes. Mitsuki enjoyed playing with his victims like this. He was tormenting this man and he liked it.

“Who sent you?!”

Mitsuki raised the man’s blade into the air, causing Boruto to fear for the worst. Mitsuki stared right into the eyes of the rogue ninja and spoke with no emotion, “I have no interest in answering a dead man’s question.”

As the blade came down for the finishing blow, the rogue closed his eyes. He was surprised when he heard the sound of metal clashing with metal. The rogue opened his eyes and that’s when he saw a blonde haired male standing before him, holding back the blue haired male’s attack with a kunai. Boruto was shaking under the weight of the sword but he managed to push Mitsuki back.

“What are you doing, Mitsuki?!”

“Move out of the way, Boruto.”

“I won’t let you kill him!”

“Have you forgotten our mission?”

Boruto’s eyes widened at that question. Mitsuki picked up the rogue’s blade and glared at the enemy as he hissed, “Have you forgotten how we have been given a mission to eliminate him? You want to be like Sasuke and this is the type of work he does. Do you understand some of difficult choices Sasuke has to make now? This is the path you want to walk down, Boruto, so if it’s not for you then you need to move out of my way.”

Just as Mitsuki was about to reach the rogue, Boruto stood in his way. The blonde was firm as he questioned, “But do you really have to kill him? Why can’t you just knock him out and bring him back to the village for Ibiki to interrogate him? Why do you have to kill him, Mitsuki?”

“He is beyond reason.”

“No, I’m not! I’ll talk!”

“You’d do anything to save your skin.”

Mitsuki raised the blade but gasped when Boruto was able to knock it out of his hand. The sword was split in between Boruto and Mitsuki. Pleading sapphire eyes stared back into annoyed yellow eyes. Boruto saw that there was no way he was going to get through to Mitsuki like this. Boruto glared back at his love interest as he stated coldly.

“I don’t like guys who fight like this.”  
  


Boruto thought that would cause Mitsuki to stop but it didn’t. Instead, Mitsuki snapped. The look of annoyance in Mitsuki’s eyes changed to rage in the blink of an eye. Boruto watched in confusion as Mitsuki moved his tongue around in his mouth as if there was something in his mouth that he wanted to get out. Boruto gasped when Mitsuki opened his mouth and a kunai launched itself into the head of the rogue ninja, killing him instantly.

Boruto was shaking as he took in how Mitsuki killed a man by a kunai from his mouth. Mitsuki still had a glare on his face as he looked at Boruto. He couldn’t believe that Boruto would stoop that low. He couldn’t believe that Boruto would try to use their unspoken love against him. Mitsuki shook his head at Boruto and turned away from him.

“I’m not like most guys.”

* * *

Naruto had noticed that Boruto and Mitsuki hadn’t been seen around each other in the past week. He had heard from Ino that Mitsuki was unusually quiet in the flower shop. Naruto sighed to himself as he realized that the mission he sent them on could have negatively effected whatever relationship they were developing together.

Naruto had known that there was the chance of Boruto changing his mind about becoming a ninja like Sasuke but he didn’t consider what the mission could’ve done to Boruto’s mind regarding Mitsuki. Naruto didn’t want Boruto to look at Mitsuki like he was the bad guy. He hoped Boruto didn’t say something that set Mitsuki off.

Mitsuki was watering flowers when Ino walked over to him. She sighed before saying, “I know you probably have a lot on your mind, Mitsuki, so I wanted to see how you’re doing. I’m not sure what happened on your last mission but I’m here if you need to talk.”

“I don’t think he likes me.”

“Who?”

“Boruto. I don’t think he likes me anymore.”

“Why would he not like you?”  
  


The blue haired male brought the watering can to his chest, holding it like it was a lifeline. He sighed and explained, “I’ve been working with the Hokage for years. I’ve been sent on missions to eliminate rogue ninja who pose a threat to the village or the other nations. Boruto accompanied me on a recent mission so he could get a glimpse as to what his life would be like if he chose to go down the same path as Sasuke.”

Mitsuki turned to face Ino but he avoided her gaze. He couldn’t look at her as he finished, “I told him to just watch me but he intervened right when I was going to kill the rogue ninja. He asked me why we couldn’t just bring him back to the village but I had been given orders to kill him but… but Boruto said he doesn’t like guys who fight like me.”

“He likes you, Mitsuki.”

“But he said-“

Ino had a bright smile on her face as she cut him off, “He said he didn’t like guys who fight like you but I don’t think you’re seeing it how I see it. If he doesn’t like the way you fight when he goes with you on those missions then maybe you just need a better method of eliminating those ninja, right?”

“What are you trying to get at, Ino?”

“What are you good at, Mitsuki?”

“Breathing and playing the kazoo.”

“Those… those are basically the same thing.”

The blonde woman shook her head at Mitsuki. When she regained her composure she elaborated, “You’re good with flowers, Mitsuki! You know what flowers to pick but you also know which flowers to avoid. If Boruto doesn’t like how you fought on the last mission then maybe we can find a way for you to complete your missions _and_ fight how Boruto likes. Let’s make a bitchin’ bouquet!”

“Ino, you’re brilliant.”

* * *

It was Boruto’s turn to be surprised when he opened the doors to the Hokage’s office to find Mitsuki already standing there. Boruto froze in his tracks. He hadn’t spoken to Mitsuki or even seen him in a week. Part of him thought Mitsuki was avoiding him but another part of him knew he was the one avoiding Mitsuki. If he wanted to see Mitsuki he knew where to find him.

The two of them were going to be sent on another mission to eliminate a rogue ninja. This time they were going towards the Hidden Cloud. Neither of the males said a word as they accepted the mission and left the village. They remained silent as Mitsuki led the way, just like he did on the last mission. Boruto wanted to say something but his words felt stuck in his throat.

They travelled in silence until Mitsuki suddenly stopped on a branch. It was sunset by the time Mitsuki had pin pointed the rogue ninja’s location. Mitsuki stared blankly ahead as he stated, “This one is alone. He appears to have lost some chakra but he still has a considerable amount left.”

“I’ll hang back.”

“No, I want you to come with me.”

Boruto fought back a smile as he felt the butterflies in his stomach flutter. He wanted to be overjoyed that Mitsuki wanted him with him but he knew what that would mean. He knew that Mitsuki was going to kill the rogue ninja so he didn’t understand what Mitsuki was trying to do. He was hoping Mitsuki didn’t want him to go with him so he could reinforce that this was what he would be stepping into if he chose to go down the same path as Sasuke.

The blonde opted for just nodding back to Mitsuki. The two of them jumped towards the rogue ninja. Boruto didn’t know what Mitsuki’s plan was, especially because Mitsuki hadn’t said anything. Mitsuki reached for a scroll in his back pouch and made the bold move to walk out of the bushes towards the rogue. Boruto’s eyes were a mile wide as he raced after Mitsuki to try to stop him.

Boruto gasped as he came into the clearing and saw Mitsuki rolling his scroll out on the ground in front of the rogue ninja. The rogue had a pair of sai in his hands as he carefully eyed Mitsuki. Mitsuki bit his thumb and smeared the blood on the scroll, summoning something that caused Boruto and the rogue to question Mitsuki’s sanity.

Mitsuki stood up with a smile plastered on his face as he held out a bouquet for the rogue. Boruto’s jaw dropped and the rogue wondered if he should laugh or ask the blue haired male if he was okay. The rogue looked at the bouquet in awe. It was filled with flowers that he had never seen before. It was absolutely beautiful but the rogue had no idea why this boy decided to pull a bouquet out.

“This bouquet represents peace.”

No one knew that Mitsuki was lying through his teeth as he spoke, “These are some of the flowers I have in the flower shop where I work. I wanted to give you this bouquet because I want to establish peace. It consists of lily of the valley, mountain laurel, naked lady, blood root, and white snakeroot. The more you smell and touch these flowers the better luck you will have. You will also be able to note that your health will improve in all aspects.”

“What’s the trick?”

“How could I trick you with flowers?”

“Blood root and snakeroot don’t sound friendly.”

“I can assure you they’re flowers of peace.”

Mitsuki hummed in laughter as he watched the rogue ninja think it through. The blue haired male had an emotionless smile on his face as he continued, “Take it from someone who works with flowers on a daily basis, these are flowers of light and serenity. I wish to establish peace with you so that my partner and I may pass to the Hidden Cloud. If you accept these flowers we will bother you no longer.”

“Fuck it, give me the flowers and go.”

“We are most grateful.”

Boruto had a dumbstruck look on his face as he watched Mitsuki hand the bouquet over to the rogue ninja. The rogue looked down at the flowers and smiled softly. He looked at the bouquet and then back to Mitsuki, asking quietly, “And… and you said these flowers bring luck and good health?”

Mitsuki closed his eyes and nodded, keeping that damn emotionless smile on his face. The rogue moved his face into the bouquet and sniffed them. The rogue was smiling as he felt the flowers tickling his skin as they brushed against him. The white snakeroot felt a little scratchy but he ignored the feeling. The rogue’s face was stuffed in the flowers, daring to lick a flower every now and then because he needed to ensure he would have good health for his attack on the Cloud.

The blue haired male turned to Boruto, motioning for the blonde to come over. Boruto had never been more confused in his life. but everything started to make sense when he saw the devious look in Mitsuki’s eyes. There was some sort of trick he was playing on the rogue but Boruto didn’t know what it was.

“AH!”

Mitsuki took a deep breath to compose himself as he turned to the rogue ninja, who was now foaming at the mouth on the ground. It appeared as though he was suffering from a seizure but none of it bothered Mitsuki. The blue haired male dropped to his knees with a look of fake shock on his face to play the part as an innocent traveler.

The blue haired male quickly pulled out another scroll and summoned another flower. This one was a beautiful creamy white color that Boruto reached down to touch, only to have his hand slapped by Mitsuki. The blue haired male turned and shook his head to Boruto, silently telling him not to interfere with this.

The rogue was convulsing on the ground but he could hear Mitsuki’s soothing voice whispering to him, “Don’t worry, you’re in good hands. I’m a medic from my village and I know the perfect flower to cure you of your suffering. Here, eat this flower and I can assure you that you’ll feel much better.”

With the last of his energy, the rogue ate the flower that Mitsuki dropped into his mouth. The rogue was gasping for breath but right when he thought he was getting better he screamed in pain. He felt his heart beating fast in his chest until he was sure he was experiencing an irregular heart rate.

The rogue looked up at the face of the boy he thought was his savior. Mitsuki watched the man with amused eyes as he stated, “I fed you the nerium oleander, which is a deadly flower that will kill you after ingesting it. You’ve already noticed that you’re experiencing an accelerated heartbeat. Don’t worry, it will all stop soon enough. Your heartbeat will soon drop to a rate far below normal until your heart stops beating altogether.”

“B-But y-you s-said-“

“I was lying the entire time.”

The rogue felt his heart slow down, making breathing a lot harder for him. He felt body growing numb as he listened to that voice he once found soothing, “That bouquet was full of flowers that are poisonous to humans. You smelled them, rubbed them on your face, and I assume you even licked some. Each of those flowers have the capability of killing humans but eating the nerium oleander reassured your death.”

Boruto was absolutely horrified as he watched the scene in front of him. Mitsuki was just sitting there watching a man die. Boruto was cringing and even covering his eyes at some points but Mitsuki didn’t move. Mitsuki didn’t flinch, nor did he even blink. Before, Mitsuki had physically tormented rogue ninjas but now he was tormenting without touching them.

When the man was dead, Mitsuki pulled out a book from his back pouch and crossed out a face. Mitsuki stood up and turned to face Boruto, a warm smile etching itself on his face. Mitsuki felt good about this mission. He didn’t even have fight to kill this man so he hoped that now Boruto saw that he wasn’t a guy who fought dirty.

He hoped Boruto saw him as a guy who fought the way he liked.

* * *

“You’re telling me he killed a guy… with flowers?”

“Yes, Shikadai!”

The green eyed male was laying in his backyard staring at the clouds while Boruto was pacing in circles. Shikadai let out a long sigh as he listened to Boruto tell him all about his most recent mission with Mitsuki. He had told Shikadai that Mitsuki killed a man with a bouquet of flowers. Shikadai couldn’t help but laugh because it sounded absolutely ridiculous.

“So, what’s the _real_ problem, Boruto?”  
  


“He killed a guy… with flowers!”

“You can’t be this dense.”

“What are you talking about?”

Shikadai shielded his eyes from the sun as it broke through a cloud. He was squinting as he explained, “Are you forgetting that this is literally Mitsuki’s job? Your own father, who is the Hokage, is sending Mitsuki out on missions to eliminate rogue ninja so why are you mad that he’s doing what’s asked of him? If it doesn’t bother Mitsuki then why does it bother you so much?”

Boruto wanted to be mad at Shikadai but the green eyed male sent him a hard look that dared him to disagree. It seemed Shikadai picked up that look from Temari. Boruto stopped pacing as he ran a hand through his blonde locks. Shikadai brought up some valid points. Boruto needed to wrap his head around why it bothered him so much when Mitsuki killed people on missions that literally called for termination.

Shikadai was about to fall asleep when Boruto’s voice brought him out of the premature slumber, “Maybe… maybe it bothers me so much because… because when I think of Mitsuki I think of the boy who sold me a bouquet of ‘fuck you’ flowers years ago. When I think of Mitsuki I don’t think of someone who can spit a kunai out of his mouth. It’s… it’s weird seeing him out of that light I put him under, you know?”

“He’s not like you, Boruto.”

“Yeah… yeah, I know.”

“You need to accept who he is.”

“Oh, fuck… I’m the worst!”

Boruto was holding his head, as if he couldn’t believe what he had done. Shikadai was nodding throughout Boruto’s entire realization ramble, “I told Mitsuki I don’t like guys who fight like him… so he thought I would like him if he fought another way… so he used a bouquet of poisonous flowers. I can’t believe he did that just so I would like him. Wow… I really fucked up, you know?”

“You sure did.”

“Thanks, Shikadai.”

Shikadai rolled his eyes and sat up so he could look up at his friend. Shikadai was obviously annoyed as he said, “Well, I’m not going to humor your little pity party, Boruto. You fucked up so instead of wallowing in your tears, why don’t you make it up to Mitsuki. He changed his fighting style so you would like him. He did something out of his comfort zone for you so do something outside of your comfort zone for him.”

“But I’m comfortable with everything!”

“No… actually, you’re not.”

Boruto could tell Shikadai was thinking of a plan. The blonde sat on the ground, staring impatiently at his friend. Shikadai was trying to look at anything other than Boruto as he tried to run through the plan for his friend. The gears were twisting and turning in Shikadai’s head, finally setting off the lightbulb that would’ve appeared above his head when everything finally clicked.

“I’ve got a plan.”

“I’m all ears!”

The green eyed male had a determined look on his face as he stated, “You said you went to Mitsuki for help with flowers years ago, right? So, that means you’re not comfortable with flowers. Mitsuki made you a bouquet so this time you should make him one. Make him something beautiful and something that apologizes for what a troublesome person you are. Make something that will tell him you love him.”

“Shikadai, you’re a genius!”

* * *

It was a rare day for Mitsuki because Inojin was sitting at the checkout counter in the flower shop. Normally, Inojin couldn’t be bothered to help out but it seemed he was so bored he decided to lend his talents. Mitsuki was sweeping the floors when he sensed someone approaching the shop. He looked up and saw that no one had entered. He furrowed his brow in confusion when he saw that someone had left something outside on the welcome mat.

Mitsuki placed the broom against the wall and made his way over to the entrance. He opened the door and made a soft noise of confusion when he saw a bouquet of yellow carnations. Mitsuki picked up the bouquet and went back into the shop. He didn’t understand why someone would leave flowers at a flower shop until a piece of paper fell from the bouquet.

Inojin walked over and picked up the small piece of paper. He opened it up and started laughing to himself. When Inojin composed himself, he looked at Mitsuki and chuckled, “That Boruto’s got it bad for you, Mitsuki! It looks like he made this bouquet of yellow carnations especially for you! I wonder why he chose yellow though… oh! Maybe because he wanted to match the color of your eyes!”

“Yellow carnations…”

“This is so beautiful!”

“He really doesn’t like me.”

“Wait, what?”

Mitsuki set the bouquet of yellow carnations on the counter and sat down in the seat that once belonged to Inojin. Mitsuki had tears in his eyes as he stared at the yellow carnations. If Boruto had picked those especially for him then there must have been a reason for picking them. It couldn’t have just been because Mitsuki had yellow eyes.

Mitsuki was fiddling with the petals on one of the carnations when he explained, “Behind every flower is a hidden meaning. Boruto once came here and asked me to help him make a bouquet of flowers that meant something rather harsh and inappropriate. By sending me these yellow carnations… Boruto is telling me that he is disappointed and is rejecting me.”

He carefully pulled off a petal, moving it in between his thumb and index finger. He refused to look at Inojin as he murmured, “There are various colors of carnations and each color has a meaning. If he wanted to tell me he loved me then he wouldn’t have sent me yellow carnations. Everything I’ve done to earn his love has backfired on me. I need to face the facts… he doesn’t love me.”

“You think too highly of Boruto.”

“I don’t understand, Inojin.”

The blonde reached for the bouquet, holding it up near Mitsuki’s face. He inspected the yellow of the carnations and compared them to the yellow color of Mitsuki’s eyes. He squinted as his eyes flashed from the flowers to Mitsuki’s eyes. He nodded to himself after carefully considering Mitsuki’s analysis and then his own.

Inojin shook his head with a smile. He looked at Mitsuki as he confirmed, “It’s just like I thought. Boruto got you these flowers because they’re the exact color of your eyes. You think he’s smart enough to pick flowers based on their hidden meaning but I can tell you that’s not the case. Boruto likes your eyes so he thought that if he got you flowers that match your eyes then maybe you’d realize he loves you.”

“But, they’re yellow carnations and-“

“And nothing, Mitsuki! He loves you!”

There was a light pink blush on Mitsuki’s face as he avoided those teal eyes. He held the yellow petal in his hand as he replied softly, “But what if he really did mean to send me the yellow carnations to tell me that he rejects me and my love? What if he thought that telling me through flowers was the only way I’d understand?”

Inojin groaned loudly at Mitsuki, which caused the blue haired male to give him a questioning look. The blonde walked over to Mitsuki and forced him out of the chair. Inojin dragged Mitsuki out of the flower shop and threw a carnation at his head. The flower didn’t hurt by any means but Mitsuki had no idea what had caused Inojin to react this way.

Inojin stood in the entrance’s doorway, almost as if he was blocking Mitsuki from coming back in. The blonde stated with a hint of annoyance, “If you have these questions still then you need to talk to Boruto. You two are the most hopeless romantics I’ve ever met so go find him and figure it out because you’re driving me crazy, Mitsuki!”

“I didn’t mean to make you crazy-“

“It’s a figure of speech!”

Mitsuki hummed in laughter when he got the point behind the expression. Mitsuki walked over to Inojin and kissed his cheek, his own way of silently thanking his friend. Inojin placed a hand to the cheek Mitsuki kissed, a blush appearing on his face at the strange act of kindness. He watched as Mitsuki walked down the street with the single yellow carnation. Inojin shook his head and went back into the shop.

“Whoever gave hidden meanings to flowers is a real pain in the ass.”

* * *

Mitsuki had sensed Boruto’s chakra on a bridge leading to the forest. Mitsuki saw that he was leaning against the railing, eyes focused on the running water below him. There wasn’t a smile on his face and Mitsuki couldn’t help but feel sad about that. Every time he saw Boruto there was a smile on his face so it was strange to see him without one. Mitsuki found that the one thing that would never go out of style on Boruto was his smile.

The blue haired male quietly made his way over to Boruto, causing the other male to jump in surprise when he finally heard footsteps coming towards him. Mitsuki hummed in laughter at Boruto’s reaction. The blonde couldn’t help but smile when he saw that Mitsuki was holding a lone yellow carnation in front of his body with both hands.

“I take it you got my bouquet.”

“What made you pick yellow carnations?”

“They match your eyes, you know?”

“I see… Inojin was right.”

Boruto didn’t know what Mitsuki meant by that. He shook his head and explained with explosive gestures, “I’m not good at talking flower like you are so I went for the next best thing! I think your eyes are really pretty so I knew I had to find flowers that matched your eyes! I looked at a bunch of flowers until, boom! Yellow carnations! They’re the same color as your eyes, you know?”

“Do you know what yellow carnations mean?”

“I hope they mean you’re beautiful…”

Mitsuki couldn’t help but take a hand and move it to his mouth, trying to hide his laughter. When Mitsuki removed his hand, he stated with a smile, “Yellow carnations symbolize disappointment and rejection, Boruto.”

“Oh, fuck… says who?!”

Mitsuki was about to answer but Boruto went off on a rant instead, “Whoever came up with these meanings behind flowers clearly didn’t talk to me about it! Fuck that person! I don’t like their meaning for my carnations so that just means I need to come up with my own meaning for them!”

Boruto thought for a moment but then he turned to grab Mitsuki’s shoulders. They were forced to look into each other’s eyes as the blonde said, “To me, yellow carnations symbolize love and beauty. I gave you those carnations because I’m not good at expressing my feelings the right way. I thought that giving you a bouquet of yellow carnations would help you see that I don’t care about how you fight… I care about you.”

Mitsuki nearly dropped the flower but he managed to keep a grip on it. There was a blush on Mitsuki’s face as he listened to Boruto’s passionate words, “I mess up when I try to talk to you so I thought the only way you’d be able to understand me is if I communicated with you through the one language you know better than anyone else… flower.”

“But, I’m not even good at that, you know?”

“You did that… for me?”

“I messed up again, didn’t I?”

Boruto was surprised when Mitsuki started to hum in laughter. The blue haired male reached a hand up to hold Boruto’s face. There was a small smile on Mitsuki’s face as he whispered, “To anyone else, none of this makes sense but to me… it makes sense. It seems that we both tried to go outside our comfort zones to tell each other we care.”

The blonde shook his head with a laugh. Mitsuki continued to smile as he said, “I thought that maybe you’d like me better if I fought differently so that’s why I made that poisonous bouquet. I wanted to show you that I care about you and that I was listening to you. It seems I messed up, as well, hm?”

“It made sense to me, Mitsuki.”

Mitsuki’s eyes went wide when Boruto leaned in and kissed him. Boruto snaked his arms around Mitsuki’s waist while the blue haired male used his free hand to tangle itself in those blonde locks. As they deepened the kiss, neither of them noticed how the yellow carnation Mitsuki was holding was sitting between them.

Inojin was right when he told Mitsuki they were hopeless romantics. They thought they were on different pages but it turned out they had always been on the same page, they just didn’t know it. They appeared to be a hopeless couple but they were also romantics. Words would never be enough for them so they went above and behind to show the other that they loved each other.

Their relationship wouldn’t make sense to anyone else but as long as they thought they made sense then that was enough for them. Boruto and Mitsuki slowly pulled away, smiling back at each other as their foreheads touched. The yellow carnation stood proud between the two of them.

“I think we make sense together.”

“Damn right we do.”

The two of them walked off the bridge together. One hand was holding the yellow carnation and the other was intertwined with Boruto’s hand. Mitsuki hummed in laughter as he said, “Would you care to come back to the flower shop with me for some tea? I know a flower that would taste delicious if it was mixed in the tea.”

“Is the flower poisonous?”

“You never poison someone with the first cup, Boruto.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you all again for reading! :) Once again, thank you so, so much, Masterodontochelys, for all your help with this story! I honestly couldn't have done it without you! :) I hope everyone enjoyed the twists added to this story and, of course, the hopeless romance of Mitsuki and Boruto! It was fun to try to capture how they both don't seem to be on the same page but they low key are always on the same page, they just need a little help from their friends! I'm working on another story so hopefully I'll be back soon! Sorry for any mistakes! Thank you for reading! :)
> 
> Stay safe everyone! I'll catch you on the flipside :)
> 
> UPDATE  
> I hope you all enjoyed the picture that Masterodontochelys has created for this! It was so much fun to develop with story with such a close friend, and to have a picture to tie it all together makes my heart so full!! I adore you Masterodontochelys :)


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